The present application relates to a method of assembling a rolling bearing by inserting rolling elements between the outer ring and the inner ring of such a rolling bearing. The object of the invention is not limited to the type of rolling bearing which can include all sorts of rolling bearings including those having one or two rows of rolling elements maintained between the inner and outer rings or inner and outer ring assemblies. The rolling elements may be maintained at appropriate relative positions by one or several cage elements. The rolling elements can be balls, cylinders, or any similar rolling elements suitable for being mounted between the two rings of the bearing for supporting a rotatable mechanical element with regard to a non rotatable element. Generally speaking, the rolling elements are rolling on races of suitable shape provided on the inside periphery of the outer ring, and on the outside periphery of the inner ring.
It is advantageous for increasing the load capacity of the bearing, to insert the maximum possible number of rolling elements in the bearing.
The conventional method for assembling rolling bearings is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 822,723 to Robert Conrad. According to the method disclosed in this document for a ball bearing, the two rings are eccentrically displaced to each other, defining a crescent shape space in which balls can be introduced. The number of balls which can be introduced may be increased by effecting a slight elastic deformation.
In order to increase the number of balls which can be inserted between the two rings of a ball bearing, it has been further suggested to apply a force on two diametrically opposed locations on the outer ring or the inner ring, or on both said rings, when both rings have been eccentrically displaced according to the Conrad method. This is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,633,627, German patent application 2 104 063 or JP 2006-177 507. It has also been proposed to apply forces on four points, on the outer ring, as disclosed in JP 2004-068 985, or on three points at 120° on the outer ring as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,885,767 which also provides similar application of forces on the inner ring.
It has appeared however that none of those disclosed methods permits to reach the limit of the maximum possible number of rolling elements to be inserted between the two rings of a rolling bearing. There is therefore a need for a further improved method of assembling such a rolling bearing which would permit to further increase the number of rolling elements which can be inserted.